Antonio Montella: The Mobster, the Message, and the YouTube Video That Exposed It All
Italian authorities captured fugitive mob figure Antonio Montella after discovering a YouTube video showing his baptism into the William Branham “Message” movement, which provided investigators with enough geographic and contextual clues to locate his hiding place. His arrest unfolded amid a major ‘Ndrangheta drug-trafficking crackdown, highlighting an unusual intersection between organized crime and a controversial religious sect.
Antonio Montella is widely reported in Italian and international media as an Italian mob figure associated with the narcotics underworld. In 2015, a series of unusual events revealed a surprising connection between Montella's criminal activity and William Branham's "Message" sect. When authorities intensified their pursuit, Montella fled to the Naples area, where he attempted to avoid detection by embedding himself within a local congregation of Branham's followers. According to parishioner Adelmo Iadanza, Montella attended services regularly but kept to himself:
Parishioner Adelmo Iadanza said: 'He seemed like a nice man, I am sure there must have been a mistake. He kept himself very much to himself, but was always in church at the weekend.'[1]
Montella's arrest occurred in the wider context of a major anti-mafia operation. In 2015, Roman police dismantled a large 'Ndrangheta-linked drug network, arresting more than thirty alleged mobsters. Authorities seized over 600 kilograms of cocaine and hashish during the initial phase of the operation, on top of an earlier 1,500-kilogram seizure and the confiscation of multiple weapons caches. Investigators reported that the network had plotted a hit on a rival boss in 2013 and was maneuvering to gain monopolistic control over the cocaine trade in Rome.[2] Montella's capture formed one part of this broader crackdown.
Authorities ultimately located Montella through a video posted on YouTube. The recording showed the fugitive being taken to the Italian coastline near the border of Naples and Caserta, where he was baptized into the William Branham "Message" movement. The ritual itself -- filmed from the shore -- provided investigators with enough visual information to identify the coastal setting and the pastor. By questioning local residents, police tracked Montella to a Branhamite commune in Villaricca, a suburban area near Naples.[3] He was arrested and transported to Rome to face charges related to drug trafficking.
Italian police tracked down a wanted Mafia boss after they watched a video of him being baptized — which provided clues to his whereabouts.It was filmed off the coast of Pinetamare near an area between the provinces of Naples and Caserta, and authorities immediately recognized the region — and the pastor — seen in the video, ultimately leading them straight to the born-again fugitive
- New York Post
This was not the first time Branham's organization had surfaced in connection with legal controversy. In 1997, Voice of God Recordings -- the central institution of the Branham movement -- was named as a defendant in a federal racketeering lawsuit that involved allegations of financial misconduct by a follower of the sect.[4] Though unrelated to Montella's case, the earlier lawsuit illustrates the sect's periodic entanglement with legal and criminal investigations.
The YouTube Video (Montella’s baptism begins at 3:26): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmhHZQd4EcI